The Tulane University School of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology traces its origins to the Chemistry Department and subsequent Department of Biochemistry; a remarkable history of more than 175 years. This newly organized department is currently undertaking a significant expansion over the next several years and is highly devoted to the pursuit of the highest standards in biomedical research and education. The expanded department will have 15 faculty members who train 20 postdoctoral fellows, 15-20 Ph.D and M.D/Ph.D graduate students as well as 15 Masters degree graduate students annually through extramurally funded research projects and a selection of formal advanced courses, tutorials, and laboratory research topics. In addition, research activities of the faculty serve as a training ground, in the form of internships, for college undergraduates, medical students, high school students, and teachers who are seeking a meaningful experience in laboratory-based studies.

Areas of research strength in the department include Nucleic Acids Biochemistry (genomics, DNA and RNA binding proteins, structure and function of RNA, control of gene expression, DNA replication, and chromosome dynamics), Protein Biochemistry (enzymology, protein structure and folding, and multi-protein machines), the Biochemistry of Complex Carbohydrates, and Cancer Mechanisms (signaling, cell cycle, metabolism, apoptosis, differentiation, senescence,epigenetics, miRNAs, stem cells, xenograft or genetic tumor models and drug discovery). Graduate training in the department draws on the tools of genetics, cell biology, chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology, biophysics, computer science and a number of other disciplines.

Supplementing the interdisciplinary training environment in the department are state-of-the-art instrumentation facilities, a seminar program that invites 15-20 outside speakers per year, including the annual Adrouny Lectureship by an invited distinguished scientist, and a number of collaborative activities involving research groups at Tulane, the University of New Orleans (UNO), Xavier University, the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center (LSUHSC) - New Orleans, and other national or international institutions.